Northumbria Roots

02/02/2023

Need help with your family history research? Course starts on 6th March in Stanhope, Co. Durham.

13/01/2023

I am thinking of running my 'Getting Started in Family History' course again. The last one was cancelled due to Covid.
It will be a 6 week course on a Monday evening in Stanhope Community Centre, cost £5 per session or book the 6 in advance for £27.
I need a minimum of 6 people to make it worthwhile. Message me for more information if interested.

03/02/2022

Our exhibition in December was cancelled due to Storm Arwen. Lots of people asked if we were going to rearrange it - well we have - 25th to 27th Feb. Hope to see you there.
Help support your local museum.

17/07/2021

We are opening again! Welcome Back.

The Weardale Museum is pleased to announce that it will be reopening to visitors on Friday 23rd July. We have made a few changes to our arrangements to help keep our visitors and volunteers safe.
The Museum will be open from 1pm 7 days a week over the summer school holidays and, at present, due to the continuing high rates of Covid infections, we are asking visitors to pre-book. This is so we can limit numbers to a safe level in what is a very small building.
Please note that High House Chapel is currently closed for building and restoration work.
There will be 3 ‘slots’ a day at 1pm, 2.10pm and 3.20pm; to ensure visitor safety our Stewards will clean down between visits. A family/household group of any size may visit together or an organised group of up to 8 people. Groups of a larger size will be able to make separate arrangements outside the usual opening hours.
We are asking visitors to please wear face masks or visors, unless medically exempt, during their visit and especially while they enter and leave the building and when in the presence of our Volunteers.
From 23rd July bookings will be able to be made by telephoning the Museum between 1pm and 4.30pm each day. Prior to that date, and for larger organised groups, please telephone Kate Gill on 07990786220.
Bookings for Family History Research can be made in the same way.
Please note: At the moment we do not have a card reader so please use cash, thank you.
Our opening times may change depending on the situation and availability of Stewards, please check our page or our website for details or ring Kate at the above number.
Website www.weardalemuseum.org.uk
The telephone number for the Weardale Museum is 01388 335085. Want a reminder of the Museum? See our video on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlVW-nXUVr0

26/06/2021

22/05/2021

25/03/2021

A great resource for those researching Weardale families

13/02/2021

Every day is a school day! Researching a bit further on my own tree on the family of Matthew Nixon, his occupation, given at the baptisms of some of his children in the 1790's, was a Salt Officer. The family lived in Birtley at the time. Doing a bit of research I found that a salt spring was found in Birtley in 1785 and a group of gentlemen established there a company manufacturing salt. Salt was taxed at the time so Matthew was working for the Revenue. Later, living back in Sunderland, his occupation was as a Tidewaiter. Not one I had heard before so I looked it up and found that this was another term for a Customs Officer, so he was still working for the Revenue. Always something new to learn in family history no matter how long you have been doing it.

15/01/2021

Researching your Weardale roots? The Weardale museum has a vast collection of information and records on families from the area. See our website www.weardalemusem.org.uk for details

08/01/2021

Decided today to spend some lockdown time looking back over my own family history. One branch, the Dentons, came from Lutton in Lincolnshire and my 4x great grandfather John Denton married Frances Hancock there in 1787. Even knowing the high child mortality rate I was shocked to see that they lost 8 of their 10 children in infancy or childhood; only the 2 youngest Octavius and Sarah lived to adulthood. Also John was the Parish Clerk and the Sexton so not only would he have recorded all his children's baptisms and burials but also probably dug their graves. Life was really hard in those times.